Three old advertisements that make me want to head to the lake

It’s National Beer Day, it snowed last night and I’m ready for warmer weather. This combination of things drove me to find some old advertisements that combine beer and the great outdoors.

This Ad for Rainier Beer from 1904 ran in the Arizona Republican. “The Strenuous Life requires something to put vim and vigor in one’s system. There is nothing quite so satisfying as a reasonable amount of Rainier Beer. Ideal for hunting, fishing and other outings.”

I liked the direction they took with this advertisement, it’s easy to relate to “The strenuous life” and the appeal of the potential rejuvenating effects a beer might lend on your next outdoor adventure, but drink responsibly, you only need “a reasonable amount”. The image threw me a little bit, the man with the cowboy hat, pistol and sword drawn, I’m not sure if this is supposed to a soldier representing “the strenuous life” or if that’s how Rainier pictured their consumer on a hunting trip? The hops were a nice addition though. Rainier is still a brand that’s available today and is owned by Pabst Blue Ribbon.

“On your fishing trip a case of Luxus” This ad was in the Salt Lake Tribune in September of 1911. Luxus was “the beer you like” a nice direct claim that would make me go out and buy a Luxus to determine whether the claim was true.

I like the image, two men on a sailboat with their case of Luxus which is so huge in the boat it could easily double as a life raft. Unlike the Rainier ad from above that promotes responsible drinking I feel this ad does the opposite, two guys with a giant crate of beer operating a sail boat might send the wrong message.

The St. Paul Globe ran this advertisement for Hamm’s Beer in October of 1900. This is my favorite of the three, I dig the birch bark canoe, the glassy water reflecting the shoreline. One guy paddling this canoe, looking like John Wayne with his case of Hamm’s Beer, the one fishing companion that will never reveal that secret fishing spot.

Now I feel like I need a cowboy hat before I head out on my next fishing trip.